Nov 15

Nov 15 Southwest Onslow knocks Ayden-Grifton out of the postseason

Ayden-Grifton head coach Paul Cornwell, right, talks with junior lineman Vito Boyd (74) on the sidelines during their game against Southwest Onslow on Friday evening. Rudy Coggins/NeuseNews

JACKSONVILLE - The script lived up to Ayden-Grifton's expectations.

The ending?

Not so much.

The Chargers and Southwest Onslow engaged in a hard-nosed, low-scoring defensive slugfest that left both teams exhausted as they shook hands walked to their respective ends at Padgett Field on a chilly Thursday evening.

Tears flowed freely from AG players as the Stallions celebrated a 14-9 victory in opening-round action of the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 2-A (small-school) football playoffs Friday evening.

The Chargers have not won a first-round playoff contest since 2016.

"Two physical teams," Chargers head coach Paul Cornwell said. "I thought our kids played hard. I thought their kids played hard. I thought we wore down a little bit, but our kids just kept fighting every single snap."

Ayden-Grifton (8-3 overall) lost heralded running back Michael Webb on its fourth offensive play of the game. Webb endured a right-foot injury that required significant ice time on the sideline.

Cornwell called on Marlon Cannon, a bullish 210-pound fullback who dragged several Stallion defenders across the hash marks on numerous occasions. Cannon churned out a game-high 68 yards on 16 totes, but never touched paydirt.

Quarterback Josh Wright accounted for the Chargers' lone touchdown - a six-yard burst up the middle with 1:45 left in the opening quarter.

"We found some ways to move the ball," Cornwell said. "I thought Marlon Cannon stepped up and ran the ball really hard for us. I thought our offensive line really stepped up. There were a lot of bodies in there giving us a lot of different looks, we kept our head and just executed the best we could.

"When you lose that guy [Mike], that's a big hit for us."

Southwest (10-2) recovered a fumble and tied the game at 7-7 on a short touchdown pass with 6.9 seconds left before halftime.

A second fumble, on a botched snap punt, helped the Stallions claim a 14-7 edge toward the end of the third quarter.

Ayden-Grifton's defense posted a safety with just over eight minutes left in regulation.

The Stallions' defense preserved the 14-9 lead with two fourth-down stops after the safety.

"In big games, you've got to finish. In big games, you can't turn the ball over," Cornwell said. "We had a couple of plays that went against us. In big games against really good football teams, you can't do that. You've got to finish drives."

The Chargers rebounded from consecutive losses to start Eastern Carolina 2-A Conference play and earned their 19th straight trip to the postseason. Cornwell credited it to competing in an underrated league.

"It's a war every week," Cornwell said. "I think it definitely helped us playing good football teams every week. I'll put our league up against anybody. I really thought it prepared us. I thought we were prepared tonight. We just didn't make enough plays.

Ayden-Grifton 7 0 0 2 - 9

SW Onslow 0 7 7 0 - 14

First Quarter

AG - Wright 6 run (Hernandez kick), 1:45

Second Quarter

SWO - Simmons 8 pass from Moore (Hannig kick), 0:06.9

Third Quarter

SWO - Moore 6 run (Hannig kick), 1:46

Fourth Quarter

AG - Safety, 8:17

AG SWO

First downs 5 8

Rushes-yds 42-116 42-81

Passing 4-14-0 4-14-1

Passing yds 84 50

Total yards 200 131

Fumbles-lost 2-2 1-1

Punts-yds 5-34.8 5-35.0

Penalties-yds 5-40 2-16

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING - Ayden-Grifton: Michael Webb 3-11, Josh Wright 11-32, Jeffrey Darden 1-4, Marlon Cannon 16-68, Nakeem Whitfield 2-5, Ramik Moore 4-6, Keshawn Best 4-13, Team 1-(minus-23). SW Onslow - Isaac Moore 19-55, Tyquan Pagan 17-41, Nehemiah White 1-(minus-1), Mike Tuner 1-0, Team 4-(minus-14).

PASSING - Ayden-Grifton: Wright 4-14-0, 84. SW Onslow - Moore 4-14-1, 50.

RECEIVING - Ayden-Grifton: Quinton Mitchell 1-8, Best 2-60, Webb 1-6. SW Onslow: Tariq Sessoms 1-16, Tyler Pascuzzi 1-8, Antonio Simmons 2-26.